Stakeholders' perspectives on capturing societal cost savings from a quality improvement initiative: A qualitative study.

Background: Besides improving the quality of care, quality improvement initiatives often also intend to produce cost savings. An example is prehabilitation, which can reduce complication rates and the length of stay in the hospital. However, the process from utilization reductions to actual societal cost savings remains uncertain in practice.

[Blood culture utilization and its indications in emergency departments; time for change?].

Objective: To gain insight into the blood culture (BC) utilization in emergency departments (EDs) and to identify differences in the indications for BC collection.

Design: Retrospective study METHOD: Data were collected in 11 EDs for 2018, 2019, and 2020. Indications for blood culture collection were identified in from the hospital protocols.

Development of the SPREAD framework to support the scaling of de-implementation strategies: a mixed-methods study.

Objective: We aimed to increase the understanding of the scaling of de-implementation strategies by identifying the determinants of the process and developing a determinant framework.

Design And Methods: This study has a mixed-methods design. First, we performed an integrative review to build a literature-based framework describing the determinants of the scaling of healthcare innovations and interventions.

COVID-19: A Window of Opportunity for Positive Healthcare Reforms.

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is testing healthcare systems like never before and all efforts are now being put into controlling the COVID-19 crisis. We witness increasing morbidity, delivery systems that sometimes are on the brink of collapse, and some shameless rent seeking. However, besides all the challenges, there are also possibilities that are opening up.

Serum Lipids and Lipoproteins During Uncomplicated Malaria: A Cohort Study in Lambaréné, Gabon.

AbstractThe serum lipid profile in malaria patients has been found to differ from that of healthy controls. We investigated serum lipid profile changes in malaria patients over time compared with patients with other febrile diseases. In total, 217 patients were included in the study (111 malaria patients and 106 symptomatic controls, defined as malaria-negative febrile patients).

The diagnostic accuracy of the hand-held Raman spectrometer for the identification of anti-malarial drugs.

Background: There is a need for accurate and field-applicable instruments for the evaluation of the quality of anti-malarial drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the NanoRam(®), a handheld Raman spectrometer (RS), to identify anti-malarial drugs.

Methods: In total, 289 anti-malarial drugs collected in a randomized field survey in Gabon were evaluated.

Assessing the quality of anti-malarial drugs from Gabonese pharmacies using the MiniLab®: a field study.

Background: Recent studies alluded to the alarming scale of poor anti-malarial drug quality in malaria-endemic countries, but also illustrated the major geographical gaps in data on anti-malarial drug quality from endemic countries. Data are particularly scarce from Central Africa, although it carries the highest burden of malaria. The aim of this medicine quality field survey was to determine the prevalence of poor-quality anti-malarial drugs in Gabon.

Efficacy and safety of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for non-falciparum malaria: a systematic review.

Background: Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is recommended as first-line treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, whereas chloroquine is still commonly used for the treatment of non-falciparum species (Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae). A more simplified, more uniform treatment approach across all malaria species is worthwhile to be considered both in endemic areas and for malaria as an imported condition alike.

Methods: A PROSPERO-registered systematic review to determine the efficacy and safety of ACT for the treatment of non-falciparum malaria was conducted, following PRISMA guidelines.